Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katrina Urton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Katrina, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Being an esthetician and running a small business dyeing textiles puts me in the unique position to really curate the experience of my treatment room and the overall vibe of the service. When you come in for a facial I have you put on one of my hand dyed robes and that in itself I think elevates the service from a regular service to something more spa-like. The textiles themselves are ice dyed- using ice to melt fiber reactive pigment onto fabrics. The process creates a much more watery and almost geological patterning than traditional tie dye.
During the facial itself, I really lean into the relaxation and energetic aspect and focus heavily on massage- The products we use topically are important, but skin care is so much more than that- it’s also about the fascia and muscles of the face as well- and ultimately tending to the whole person- I want each client to feel cared for and safe in my presence.

Katrina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I went to school for skincare in 2013 and aside from taking a couple select clients here and there, I was mainly bartending- In 2018 my husband and I moved to Los Angeles for his career and I ended up taking a job at a boutique creative agency working in production. After a couple of years hustling and feeling kind of burnt out by that industry- I decided to go back to working as an esthetician- I just wanted to take care of people and allow for a moment of peace in a hectic world. Two weeks after making that transition, due to Covid 19- the industry shut down. I was stuck at home with no income and and feeling very discouraged- so I started getting crafty with stuff I had around the house.
I used to love to tie dye and ice dye (even fantasized about how fun it would be to have that as a full time job) when i was younger- and so I decided to just play around for old time’s sake. I posted something I had made on my instagram account and before I knew it, friends were ordering custom dyed items from me left and right.
Things really changed when a friend of mine gave Kristen Bell a set of dishtowels I dyed and she reposted them on her instagram stories saying they were her favorite dishtowels! That helped me grow my audience and next thing you know, I was running a small business out of my living room.
After the doors to the beauty industry reopened, I was able to resume my practice as an esthetician. My friend had opened her own hair salon, Freija Collective, in Highland Park- and asked me to come and work there . I’ve gotten to incorporate my textiles into the treatment room, and as of now- it’s the only place in the city you can buy my dyed wares in person.
My facial services not only focus on skin care and using the proper products, but I like to incorporate lots of energetically healing techniques to really make it a grounding, peaceful experience- I focus heavily on massage and want my clients to float, not walk, out of my treatment room.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth is by far the most valuable resource for me in terms of gaining new clients in my esthetics practice as well as the dye business- Advertising can be so misleading and it helps to hear about actual first hand experiences people have when they get a service or buy a product- people trust their friends and I’m so incredibly grateful any time someone posts about me on social media or buys a gift certificate for a friend- Im so lucky to have so many supportive clients.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think that being authentic and genuinely loving what I do really translates to my clients and keeps them coming back- I enjoy connecting with people and making them feel seen and cared for, it’s definitely such a gift to be able to tend to people in such a personal way- touch is powerful and I’m very thoughtful and intentional with each service I provide- The textiles speak for themselves- it’s an elusive process, dyeing the fabric, and the results are so mesmerizing.
I often find that people want more once they own something I’ve dyed! I can personally attest to this as I still have the hardest time selling the things I make because I want to keep them all!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.janesaintmarie.com, www.freijacollective.com
• Instagram: @janesaintmarie, @freijacollective @freija_wellness

Image Credits
Barb Bingham